Students and teachers agreeing on math — what's next?
July 03, 2019
Succeeding with Common Core, results from Levered's 2018-19 post-pilot survey
Fast facts:
- 834 fourth graders
- 24 teachers
- 17 schools
- 7 districts in California
In our third year of piloting the 2018-19 cohort grew to four times bigger than the previous year, with over a thousand fourth graders across California. 70% of the pilot growth came from word-of-mouth recommendations from teachers and principals. Being data-driven, our student growth on the state test (CAASPP) is often the primary narrative, but we rely on our surveys for qualitative feedback from students and teachers using the system every day. This year, with a much larger pool of survey responses, we were able to see a correlation between the teachers' view of the impact on the classroom and the students' own experience with the program.
The scale used for the survey represents how strongly the respondent agrees with the statement.
Mastering the Foundation
The teachers reported that Levered helped their students feel more confident and develop their academic vocabulary in math, which was reflected in the responses from individual students — 89% saying that Levered made learning new ideas easier and 76% agreeing that Levered made it easier to learn from other students.
Engaging in Productive Struggle
Teachers and students’ experiences were also aligned in Levered offering the right amount of challenge, while also giving them the help they needed when stuck. In fact, the two most common written responses to an open question about what they liked about using the program were that Levered offered them a challenge (or that it was "hard") and that it helped them understand their mistakes when they missed questions.
100% of teachers said Levered made it easier to both challenge students and provide effective intervention, while 80% of students reported they got the help they needed when they got stuck and were more challenged in Levered. The competency-based, personalized curriculum challenges every student, no matter their level, giving them a real sense of ownership of their accomplishments. Their teachers noticed a difference, 100% reported their students were excited about learning math, while 95% of teachers said that their students were more motivated to learn because of Levered.
True Common Core Alignment
100% of teachers agreed that Levered aligned with Common Core standards and 92% reported Levered provided the assessment data needed to support their students' learning. Common Core often takes a beating in the public and political spectrum, but we see the standards as a representation of the knowledge needed for success in math, and believe the implementation and alignment of the curriculum to these standards is the fundamental breakdown of "Common Core". In Levered, every question is mapped to a standard that can be read and viewed by the teacher showing exactly which standards students are struggling, allowing for intervention in real time.
Equity in Math
We believe you can reach every student, regardless of classroom demographics and help them move toward, or beyond, grade-level math proficiency. 90% of teachers reported that Levered improved math achievement for RSP students and English Learners in their class. 100% of teachers agreed that Levered helped them differentiate learning for each student. We believe this is how we close the achievement gap — by not making assumptions about ability, meeting kids where they are, and challenging them to move as far into mastery as they can.
You're Only as Good as Your Implementation
The average pilot class spent 47 hours during the school year on Levered. Over half of classes spent 50+ hours and three teachers spent nearly 80 hours with their kids on Levered in the classroom. 100% of the teachers felt that Levered was easy to use compared to other programs, that it was easy to get up and running and that they knew how to use all of the features of the Teacher Dashboard. Every teacher also felt that Levered saved them time in planning and prep for class, with 58% marking "strongly agree" on the survey.
As we've all experienced, kids grok new technology much faster than the grown-ups in their lives, but teachers should feel encouraged that 95% of the students reported that their teachers knew how to use the program. Additionally, their excitement to use Levered was noticed by the students.
With the power of technology in 2019, it doesn't seem like we should have to choose between good curriculum, best practices, engaging content, and successful outcomes. Levered's pilots have allowed us to develop a blended learning environment that can produce results while engaging students and empowering teachers to do the most important work in the classroom and we think that is reflected in these results.
